Why Shane Beamer thinks a tight end could, in theory, be a Heisman Trophy candidate

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers danced through the sky with ease.

Toe-tapping his right-foot for the last of his three scores in UGA’s 48-7 demolition of South Carolina on Saturday, Bowers looked as nimble as a dancer despite his hulking 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame.

“He’s an explosive guy and he can make plays,” USC linebacker Brad Johnson said of Bowers. “That’s what it comes down to. When it’s time to get him the ball. He gets it in in his hands and he executes.”

“Brock Bowers — ticking time bomb,” Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran added. “You never know when he’s going to go off. Got to be prepared for it as teammates because he’s exciting.”

Bowers finished his day against South Carolina with five catches for 121 yards and two scores. His output was almost three times that of any other Georgia receiver. He even added another five yards on an end-around that he took into the end zone for good measure.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer — who coached tight ends at Georgia between 2016 and 2017 — wasn’t at UGA while Bowers was recruited. However, he’s as well-versed as most head coaches in the position.

It’s why, in his mind, he thinks multi-faceted tight ends like Bowers or South Carolina’s Jaheim Bell could theoretically contend for the Heisman Trophy.

“I don’t think it’s crazy,” Beamer said. “Because, to me, there’s so many tight ends nowadays that are doing the things that you need to potentially be a Heisman Trophy candidate. They’re catching passes. They’re carrying the ball. If you’re getting the ball in your in your hands that many times, certainly.”

Twenty-five of the last 38 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. Another nine running backs have taken home the award. No full-time defensive player has ever won. Modern-day tight ends have received even less recognition.

Only four tight ends — Wisconsin’s Pat Richter (sixth in 1962), Penn State’s Ted Kwalick (fourth in 1968), Notre Dame’s Ken MacAfee (third in 1977) and Florida’s Kyle Pitts (10th in 2020) — have finished in the top 10 of the Heisman voting in the last 60 years.

That, in theory, could change.

Tight ends have become increasingly versatile in recent years. At least one tight end has ranked among the top 50 players in the country in receiving yards each of the last five seasons. Former Texas Tech standout Jace Amaro set the high-water mark for players listed as tight ends when he finished 11th nationally in receiving with 1,352 yards in 2013.

Bowers’ dominance in 2021 didn’t quite reach Amaro’s levels, but his 13 touchdown receptions did rank sixth in the country.

“It’s not like in the old days where you were a tight end and you just blocked and you made 25 catches,” Beamer said. “Now you’re blocking, but you’re also catching passes. You’re getting the ball on jet sweeps like Brock did at times last year or you’re handing the ball to them like we’ve done with Jaheim. I don’t think it’s out of the out of imagination to say that could happen.”

Realistically, for a tight end to even have a shot at being a Heisman — let alone win it — they’d have to hit yardage numbers somewhere in neighborhood of Amaro’s 2013 season.

It’d also likely include a variable ability like that Bell possesses as a runner. Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield preached all offseason that they planned to feature the über athletic Bell in the run game. He’s done just that this fall.

Bell currently ranks third on the team with 11 rush attempts this year. That’s also tied for the must among Southeastern Conference players not listed as a running back or quarterback this season.

“I just feel like Coach (Satterfield) is gonna put me in positions to help this team win,” Bell said earlier this year. “Whether that’s in the backfield, at receiver, tight end, doesn’t matter. Where he puts me, I’m gonna do it 100%.”

Musings aside, the Heisman Trophy has continued to trend most toward being a quarterback award.

Signal-callers have won the award 18 times since 2000. The lone exceptions came via Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith (2020), Southern Cal tailback Reggie Bush (2005) and Alabama running backs Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015).

The Athletic released its weekly staff Heisman straw poll on Tuesday. Bowers came in at No. 6 among voters, behind — naturally — five quarterbacks.

A few more twinkle-toed touchdowns like Saturday, and his name may well climb up that list.